Cylindrical brush for cleaning tubes and the like



G. B. VROOM Feb. 21, 1939.

CYLINDRICAL BRUSH FOR CLEANING TUBES AND THE LIKE Original Filed Nov. 30, 1929 2 Sheet s-Shee't l Fig. 2

.INVENTOR I auyjamr a. V/FOOM WflW ATTORNEY G. B. VROOM CYLINDRICAL BRUSH FOR CLEANING TUBES AND THE LIKE I Feb. 21-, 1939.

Original Filed Nov. 30, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR summer 5. 14200114 BY W a M ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GYLINDRICAL BRUSH FOR CLEANING TUBES AND THE LIKE Guysbert B. Vroom, United States Navy 10 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30,

This is a division of my application filed November 30, 1929; Serial No. 410,839, patented December 31, 1935, Number 2,025,795, which disclosed and claims one method of making the brush and the fixture which may advantageously be employed in making the herein claimed brush.

Heretofore; the bristles of substantially round brush bodies have projected radially from their body. These bristles have been secured in bores extending into or through their bodies, radially. This requires that relatively few such bristle retaining bores may be made in such bodies of given length, as otherwise such bores will so pierce the body as to render it a mere shell, with corresponding weakness, if the bores extend to any substantial depth or through the body. This prior practice, in which an appreciable number of bristle retaining bores were provided per unit length of the brush body, rendered the support and securement of each bristle unit in its hole unsubstantial and frail, due to the small area of the wall of each bore in supporting contact with their contained bristles. Especially in cleaning tubes, many of which contain bent portions, the brush bodies must be relatively short in length in order to be passed through the bent portions in order to clean such tubes throughout their length. The relatively few bristle units per unit of length of the bristle body and the restricted length of such bodies greatly increase the cleaning duty on each bristle unit such that they Wear rapidly to so short a length that they require frequent bristle replacement.

It has long been a problem, which many have vainly sought to solve, of increasing the number of bristle units per unit of length of cylindrical brush bodies to increase their cleaning efliciency, wearing life, and reduce bristle replacement costs, and yet obviate the objectionable features there- 40 tofore inherent with such increased number of bristle units of weakness of the brush body, in-

sufficient support of the bristle units by the brush body, and frail securement of the bristle units within the brush body.

The object of my present invention is to efficiently and economically solve such problem. I have attained such solution and produced a more eificient, economical and enduring cylindrical brush by forming the bristle occupied bores in the brush body in a plurality of series, the longitudinal axes of the bores of each series being substantially parallel and in a plane at substantially right angles to the length of the brush body and tangential relative to the body in the sense that 5 the longitudinal axes of the bores of each series do not pass through the longitudinal axis of the brush body. The bores forming each subsequent series are in a difierent transverse plane of the brush body and their axes are at an angle to the bores forming the preceding series. This multiplies the number of bristle occupied bores in the cylindrical brushes heretofore practicable by the number of the bristle occupied bores forming each series of such bores. I have further solved said problem by still further increasing the cleaning efliciency and durability of cylindrical brushes by making each brush body relatively short in length and flexibly connecting two or more of such bodies together to form a brush unit having a plurality of separated, longitudinally aligned and flexibly connected short component brush bodies.

Other objects and accomplishments of this invention will be rendered apparent hereinafter.

A clearer understanding of my invention and its accomplishments may be had from the accompanying drawings and the following description.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an end view of a brush embodying my invention in one form;

Fig. 2 is a reduced view of a plane surface developed from the periphery of the brush body of Fig. 1, in which merely two bristle occupied bores form each series of such bores;

Fig. 3 is a central, vertical, sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a central, vertical, sectional View of a brush comprising a plurality of relatively short cylindrical brush bodies constructed in accordance with Figs. 1 and 3, and flexibly connected together, the intermediate portion of each brush body being removed;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but in transverse section taken on a plane occupied by one series of bristle occupied bores of uniform diameter which extend straight through the brush body;

Fig. 6 is a sectional plan View on line 6-6 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a view of the bristle material preferably employed to most economically and conveniently fill" each of the bristle unit holes of each series in the brush body.

In my Patent 1,920,283, Fig. 6 is a peripheric flattened chart of the bristle occupied bores typical of cylindrical brush bodies of the prior art. Fig. 2 of this application is comparable with that Fig. '6 to typically indicate the multiplication of such holes afiorded over the prior art by my invention where merely two bores comprise each series of bores in a plane at substantially right angles with the longitudinal axis of the brush body without impairing the strength of the brush body nor the support and securement of each bristle unit in the brush body.

My solution of the before stated problem was contributedto by myfinding that the most efficient cylindrical brushes of the prior art were limited in the number of bristle occupied bores therein by the sum of the diameters of such bores plus a space between each of the bores sufficient to afford requisite strength to the body and by the length of the body that may be practicably employed.

The round brush body I5, Figures 1, 3, 4 and 5, is provided preferably at opposite ends with a central projection [6 each provided with screw threads.

Said body l5 may be provided with radial bores therethrough, as shown in my Patent 1,920,283, and which gives but a fraction of the greater number of bores in a given length of brush body that my present invention provides available for bristle unit or groups and more efficient cleaning relative to the length of the brush body.

The bores ll of each series being substantially parallel and in a plane extending through the longitudinal axis of the body l5 preferably at right angles thereto, the adjacent series of bores I! being in a different such plane and at an angle to the preceding series. The grouped series of bores [1 continue preferably throughout the surface of body 15 desired to be provided with bristles. The bores of each series are separated from each other and there is a space between the bores forming the several series to provide adequate strength for the body [5. I have also found that such separation increases the efficiency of the brush and gives substantially longer useful life to the'bristles mounted in the bores ll. This longer wearing advantage is due, as I have found, to the fact that closely set bristle units, as well as a continuous row of bristles, provides no, or insufficient, space in which the frictional and other heat (where hot tubes are cleaned) incident to the cleaning maybe transferred from the bristles to the atmosphere and such untransferred heat materially shortens the efficient life of the bristles. The spaces between the bristle bores I! in the body l5, Figs. 1, 2, 3, not only maintains the requisite strength of the body l5, notwithstanding the greatly increased number of bores H which my present invention provides, but they also preclude the bristles in use from exceeding a definite working temperature which is controllable by the width of the spaces. This control is substantially contributed to by the angular spaces between corresponding bores I! of adjacent series of bores I1 afforded by the staggering of the bores of adjacent series.

For a round brush body I5 one preferred arrangement of bores I1 is shown in Figure 2, which diagrammatically illustrates the periphery of body IS in a flat surface upon which the bores I! appear substantially as they are disposed upon the round body l5 when drilled therethrough. The dotted lines connecting the circles in Figure 2 indicate the continuity of the bores I'I between their mouths on opposite sides. The horizontal spaces between the mouths of the bores ll indicate the relation of the bores IT on opposite sides of the bore l8 extending longitudinally through the brush body, although this relation of the bores Ilto bore I8 is merely to accommodate the special bristle securing means I have provided in bore [8, and the number of bores II in each series may be increased where other bristle securing means is provided.

Bores ll of each series are in different planes, as appears from Figure 2, those in each series being parallel to each other as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5. While but two bores H are shown in each series, yet any number of such bores may be provided in each series consistent with the diameters of body l5 and of bores II.

In the cleaning of the water tubes of boilers, condensers and the like, the small bores of such tubes require that the diameters of bodies l5 must usually be of very small diameter such that the drawings for clearness are at a scale substantially in excess of the size ordinarily employed, and which accounts for the presence of but two bores I! in each series.

When but two bores I! are provided in each series they are disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of each body l5, concentric with said axis extends a bore or hole I8, Figures 1, 3 and 5. Bore or hole 18 extends an appreciable extent into and through a portion of the area of each bore [7, Figures 1, 3. 4 and 5.

After the bores II are filled with bristle units [0, a pin [9, Figures 4 and 5, is driven into each bore or bore l8, which driving forces therefrom the portions of bristle units l0 extending therein and causes the pin 19 to become embedded into such forced portions of bristle units ill and thus lock the bristle units into their respective bores H. The opposite ends of the bristle units In form a uniform cleaning surface as hereafter explained.

Pin l9, Figures 1, 4, 5 and 6, is driven into bore [8 until its ends are a distance from the opposite ends of bore l8 so that the thus assembled brush-body [5 may be mounted between the centers (engaging in conical extensions lBa. of bores 18) of a grinding or other machine which may conveniently be employed to true -the ends of bristle units l0 into a substantially conformed uniform cleaning surface. In said or any other convenient machine operation the hereinafter described soldered, spot-welded or other securements l2 of rope portion H] are also removed, which with the severing of said loops or excess projections of portions Ill, permits the unlaying or unraveling of the outer or bristle ends of each of the rope portions in bores II, the securement thereof by pin I 9 in bore l8 preventing such unlaying of the strands of the rope portions adjacent the point of said securement as illustrated in diagonal shaded lines in Figure 5, which indicate the natural twist of such rope strands at said point.

While the bristle occupying bores I! may be filled with bristles in any desired manner, I have devised a more economical, efiicient, enduring and easier applied and replaced bristle unit, comprising portions of wire rope l0, Fig. 7, which may be uncoiled from a drum or coil ll of such rope. This rope is of the usual construction and the multiplicity of continuous wire strands spirally laid together. These strands, when the rope is severed at any place, normally tend to unlay. This causes the strands at the severed end to become substantially larger in diameter than the normal diameter of the rope. This heretofore doubtless has contributed to the avoidance of employing rope as brush bristle units. I solder or weld the strands together without increasing the diameter of the rope at points in its length, which enables .anumber of bores ll, 75

or all of such bores, in a brush body to be filled with bristles by the insertion or lacing of such rope therethrough. In soldering or welding together strands at these various points in the length of the supply of rope available, such securement extends for a space indicated at [2 in the lower part of Fig. '7, which space I2 extends for an appreciable length of the rope to enable the rope to be severed into the required length at a point I 3 intermediate the opposite ends of space I2. Thereby the rope strands are prevented from unlaying when so severed. When such severed rope portion is laced into the various bores I! of body I5, its intermediate connecting portions, as well as the soldered or welded end portions, may be removed as above stated, or otherwise. This removal permits the strands of rope portions I0 projecting from their respective bores I! in brush body I5 to unlay and afford a very efficient cleaning surface at their outer ends, while the snug fit of the rope portions I0 throughout the long, straight bores I! through body I 5, together with the securement of rope portions Ill in body I5 by pin I9, prevent the intermediate portions of each rope portion I ll forming the bristle unit, from unlaying.

A single brush body I5 I assemble for use by screwing over one end projection I6 thereof a hollow head cap 60. To prevent the threads thereof from becoming filled with dirt, this cap 60 is provided with a dome shaped head. To the opposite projection I6 of the brush body I screw a coupling collar 80, Fig. 4, rigidly attached to one end of a flexible shaft 8|, which may be driven by motor or otherwise, or said element BI may be a flexible or rigid handle which may be revolved and/or reciprocated by hand.

The collar 80 and the element 8| are usually soldered together. In brushes of the prior art the cleaning friction resulting from the employment of such brushes has been so great as at times to melt such solder and destroy the connection between said elements 80 and 8|. This is obviated by my provision of space between the bristle units forming each series, as well as between the bristle units of each formed series, which space is proportionate to the working heat liable to result from the cleaning operation, so as to enable the surplus heat to be transferred to the atmosphere at a rate which precludes the melting of the solder securement between elements 80 and 8| aforesaid.

My present invention provides an improved coupling intermediate the adjacent ends of the aligned portions of the brush body. This flexible coupling 1 0 is preferably formed of conical collars II at opposite ends each having central threaded openings adapted to be screwed onto brush-body projections I6, and base shoulders 12 are, in the instance shown in Figs. 4 and 6 secured at their peripheries to the opposite ends of the spirally coiled flexible connecting elements 73 and 14. The cones of collars II project toward each other and within the ends of their connecting elements 13 and M, which, with the separation of said collars 'II, facilitates the flexible connection of the brush bodies I5 together with an extremely short space between brushes I5, and which connection Ill enables brushes I5 to be employed without distortion or undue wear in cleaning very short and sharp curved boiler, condenser and like tubes, and in the shortest and sharpest of such curves short length brushes I5 are employed most advantageously. The substantially coincident diameters of the brush bodies I5 and of the flexible tubing 10 drivingly connecting said bodies in addition to facilitating the passage of the assembly around sharp bends that may be in the tubes to be cleaned thereby, also enables the particles that may be cleaned by the bristles II] from the wall of the tubes to be maintained close to such wall by the normally overlapped elements 13, I4 of said tubing I6. Such particles may be projected into abrading contact with such wall by the rotation of said tubing 10 and by contact with the spaced apart faces of the helical elements of the outer tube member I3.

It will thus be apparent to those skilled in this art that my present invention provides. a more eflicient, economical and enduring brush, which is capable of being employed with a single brush body or as a brush comprising a plurality of longitudinally aligned and flexibly connected rigid brush bodies, and said forms may be readily assembled or disassembled Without tools and by the most inexperienced who may be charged with the duty of employing my brush.

It is intended in the production of these brushes for the market that a substantial number will be made without being equipped with bristles, which may be supplied, as well as re-supplied, by the purchasers and users of the brush. It is also intended that the flexible connection between two or more of the brush bodies may also be separately made and sold.

The invention herein described may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties. thereon or therefor.

Having now so fully described my invention that others may therefrom make and use the same, I claim as follows:

1. In a brush, a cylindrical brush body having a longitudinal opening therein, a plurality of series of uniformly straight bores therein, the axes of the bores forming each series being parallel to and spaced apart from each other in a plane at right angles to the length of the body, the axes of bores of each series being on opposite sides of said opening, said bores being adapted to receive bristles.

2. The brush body of claim 1 characterized by the bores of adjacent series being at an angle to the bores of an adjacent series of bores.

3. The brush body of claim 1 characterized by the bores of each series extending straight through the body, and means on at least one end of the brush body for affording a connection therewith.

4. The combination of the brush body of claim 1 characterized by a portion of the opening intersecting a portion of each bore, bristle material occupying each bore in the body, and a pin in said opening impinging against a portion of the bristle material in the bores.

5. In a brush, a cylindrical brush body having a central longitudinal opening extending at least from one end thereof, said body also having a plurality of series of bores each being open at least at one end to the peripheral surface of the body, the said bores passing through a plane coincident with the longitudinal axis of the body, and the relation of the axis of the opening and of the bores of each series being such that a portion only of the areas of the opening and of the bores overlap.

6. In abrush, the combination of the brush body of claim 1, characterized by bristle material occupying each of the series of bores in the brush body, and means for securing the bristle material in the bores.

7. A cylindrical brush body having a central longitudinal opening extending at least from one end thereof, said body also having a plurality of pairs of bores in difierent planes transverse to the length of the body, the bores comprising each pair being on opposite sides of said opening, each bore being open at least at one end to the peripheral surface of the body, and a minor portion only of the area of the opening and of each' bore overlapping, the axis of each of said bores being straight, and each bore being of uniform diameter throughout its extent.

8. The combination of the brush body of claim 7 characterized by bristle material occupying each bore in the body and at least one end of the bristle material projecting from the surface of the body, and a pin in said opening impinging against only a portion of the bristle material in the bores at the point of the overlap of the bores and opening.

9. In a brush, the combination of two short cylindrical brush bodies each having cleaning means on at least a portion of their exterior surfaces and a central longitudinal short projection at least on their adjacent ends, short longitudinally spaced apart juxtaposed collars, each having central longitudinal openings therein adapted to be occupied by and secured to the adjacent projection of said bodies, said collars being of diminishing diameter with the diameter nearest the said brush bodies largest, and a short hollow, flexible shaft of substantially the diameter of the brush bodies secured to the said collars at the point of largest cross section thereof, at least the major portion of said collars extending within the hollow of said shaft.

10. In a brush, the combination of two short, cylindrical brush bodies each having cleaning means extending from their peripheral surfaces, a relatively short portion of flexible tubing of substantially the diameter of said bodies extending between said bodies, and means for securing said tubing to said bodies within the outer diameter of said tubing.

' GUYSBERT B. VROOM. 

